Protesters wearing only body paint depicting wounded whales have led a group of anti-whaling demonstrators on the grounds of Parliament.
The rally of about 40 people was part of nationwide action held on Friday to draw attention to the whaling practices of countries including Japan, Norway and Iceland.
Among them was Peter Bethune, who received a suspended sentence in July this year from a Japanese court for illegally boarding a whaling ship.
Mr Bethune says the New Zealand Government should join Australia in taking Japan to the International Court of Justice, instead of standing on the sidelines.
The Japanese fleet is preparing to head off on its annual whale hunt in the Southern Ocean with a catch quota of more than 1000 whales.
